


Rockabye

by beaniesandcrowns



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Betty Cooper Needs a Hug, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Stripper Betty, Tags May Change, mother betty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2019-10-23 01:10:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17673545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beaniesandcrowns/pseuds/beaniesandcrowns
Summary: ~Inspired by the song 'Rockabye' by Anne-Marie and Sean Paul~Betty had the perfect life. The perfect boy-next-door boyfriend, the perfect best friends and the perfect future. But when Betty discovers that she is pregnant, she is forced to leave her perfect her life behind after being banished to the Southside of Riverdale.Once Maddie is born, Betty gets a job at the Whyte Wyrm as one of their resident strippers.4 years later, Betty still works at the Whyte Wyrm but then she meets FP Jones' son, Jughead, and he turns her life around.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome friends  
> I am going to start out by saying thank you for choosing to read this. This is my first story I have ever had the courage to post, usually they stay in my files to just get lost in my many documents that I will never look at ever again. I can't promise anything amazing but I do hope you like this story since I did spend most of the time I was supposed to be using to revise for my last set of mocks before my actual GCSEs writing this...  
> This Chapter is pretty much an intro to all the characters and the storyline so it isn't as interesting, but it is important for the plot.  
> Enjoy!

"Maddie, come on! Uncle Kevin will be here soon and Mommy needs to get to work."

The 6 year old's emerald green eyes twinkled mischievously as she teared off naked, across the tiny bargain kitchen and into her box of a bedroom.

Betty had worked hard to make sure that Maddie's room didn't resemble a prison cell and made sure that she updated the paint regularly to make sure that the mould in the top corner didn't show through, but she always failed. The walls were currently 'Moana' themed, since that was Maddie's film of choice at the moment. Betty knew that within the week, the fiery 4 year old would have latched onto another princess and Betty would be finding herself spending the weekend with Kevin, updating her daughter's box-like room.

"Maddie, open the door or I'll call Uncle Kevin and tell him to stay at home."

Betty knew this was a lie, Kevin was the only of her friends who stuck by her when she was forced to take her hard-earned College funds and spend them on a small apartment on the Southside. He was the one who bought her groceries when she was 7 months pregnant with no money and he was the one who held her hand while she gave birth to her little fiery ball of energy.

Betty's life before Maddie was filled with football games and vanilla milkshakes. She was a straight-A cheerleader with the perfect boy next-door boyfriend, Archie Andrews. They were the it-couple of Riverdale High. Until Cheryl's birthday party.

Cheryl was the HBIC of Riverdale along with Betty's cousin and other best friend. (along with Kevin of course) Their relationship was rocky to begin with but they grew closer after Betty joined the River Vixens. Cheryl's birthday party in Senior year was the biggest party in the history of Riverdale High. People were coming from two towns over, it seemed everyone in the State had turned out to help celebrate. Being one of Cheryl's best friends, Betty's attendance was mandatory if she was to keep her spot on the cheerleading team so she put on her best Cooper-smile and stood loyally next to Archie while he played beer-pong and many other drinking games that Betty wasn't sure even existed. It was also the night that Betty finally gave in to Archie's pleas and lost her virginity. It was also the night that Maddie was conceived.

Two weeks after Cheryl's party, Betty thought she had a stomach bug as she was throwing up all the time. A week later, and the 'bug' still wasn't gone. 

A concerned Alice Cooper took Betty to the doctors that afternoon. (she was concerned about the amount of school Betty had lost, not the fact that she had been throwing up for a week)

When the doctor gave them the news, Alice gave Betty 24 hours to get out of the Cooper household. 

Taking her College fund and any money she had saved, Betty wrote a note for her sister, Polly, and bought the cheapest apartment she could find in Riverdale. Of course buying an apartment on the Southside put Betty even further into Alice's bad books which lead to an angry phone call and Betty blocking Alice's number before spending the night crying in her lumpy bed.

Not wanting to give up her education, Betty transferred all her classes to online which, of course got people asking questions. After the first day, half of Betty's contacts had been blocked, the rest deleted. Even Cheryl, Betty's supposed best friend, left her in the dust for the new girl, Veronica Lodge.

In 48 hours, the worst of the collection of bad moments was by far her confrontation with Archie.

She stood outside the Andrews family house dressed in black leggings and an oversized pink sweater. Her blonde hair had been shoved quickly into a messy bun and her feet were adorned with trainers. If anyone walked past, it would have looked she was about to go for a run. Little did they know. 

Knocking on the door, Betty stood on the porch nervously stretching out her fingers, resisting the urge to dig her fingernails into the soft skin of her palms. The door was opened by Fred Andrews who immediately let her up to Archie’s room with a disappointed look. _She’s told him._

“Archie?” Betty walked into his room to see him sat on his bed with a raven haired girl. He looked up from the textbook in front of him to see Betty nervously stood in the doorway. “Who’s that?”

“Veronica Lodge, I assume you’re the girlfriend?”

“Not for much longer”

Betty’s head snapped up to meet Archie’s face.

“What?”

“My dad told me Betty, I can’t do this anymore. Everyone at school knows too, there’s no point in ruining my reputation to drop out of school and raise a fucking child!”

Not saying anything, Betty wipes the tears and turns to leave, “I’ll raise our child on my own then”

\---

“Maddie, come on! I’m going to be late and if I’m late one more time, I won’t have a job anymore! If I don’t have a job, you don’t get any ice cream.”

At the mention of ice cream, Maddie’s fiery curls peeked around the door and she padded over to Betty.

“There’s my girl. Let’s get you ready for bed so you are ready for Uncle Kevin.”

5 minutes later and Maddie is dressed in her unicorn pyjamas, watching Moana in their crappy living room. A knock at the door signalled Kevin’s arrival as he burst through the door with smiles and hugs. Their dingy apartment always seemed brighter when Kevin was around.

After glancing at the clock hung above their crappy kitchen, Betty gave Maddie a kiss on the head and waved to Kevin before walking out of the door and starting her risky walk to the Whyte Wyrm for work.

Betty arrived 30 minutes early so she could have a drink and prepare for her dance which was the last one. FP liked to call her his ‘headliner’. She was the longest running dancer the Wyrm had had and it showed.

Betty sat on the bar stool in the far corner and Toni came over with her usual glass of wine. “Thanks Toni, you’re a lifesaver.”

“It’s that bad today, huh?”

“She spent half an hour running around the apartment naked this evening, I had to bribe her with ice cream which Kevin is probably pumping her with right now” Betty sighed and took a long sip of her glass before putting her head in her hands.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do Toni, my bills are due and I can’t afford them. If I don’t get a good pay check tonight, the bank will evict us. Maddie and I will be homeless”

“Girl, you know that you two are always welcome to stay with me for a while. Also heads up, boss is on his way.”

Betty turned to see FP walking towards her with a younger man. He had raven black hair, hidden under a strange hat that somewhat resembled a crown. Her stomach did a flip-flop, something that happened since Archie, over 5 years ago. “Who’s that with him?”

“No clue, but he looks real uncomfortable.”

FP had a sly look as he nodded at Toni for another beer, leaving Betty alone with FP and the mystery man. “How are you today Elizabeth? Ready for your set tonight, there’s some big money on tonight.”

“Ready and eager as always boss. And remember, Elizabeth is my stage name, call me Betty.”

“Right, it always slips my mind. This here is my son, Jughead. I’m retiring and he’s taking over the bar, get ready for some big changes around here.” Betty shook Jughead’s hand before checking the time on her phone.

“I should head back and get ready, my set’s in 10 minutes. Nice to meet you Jughead.” She hopped off the bar stool and began to walk away.

“Oh Betty, I forgot to mention, there are some new outfits. Take your pick, you are our headliner after all.”

She smiled and strode over to the back entrance. Once she was backstage she sifted through the new outfits and found a simple black lacy outfit. The other girls always went for the glittery outfits with jewels and sequins while Betty always opted for the simple and plain ones with lace and translucent material.

Stepping behind the curtain to change, Betty found her mind wandering back to Jughead. He intrigued her, and as she continued to change and put on the arty makeup that she had become known for, she found herself asking questions about him. Why does he wear that hat all the time? Why had she never met him before?

\---

“And finally, our longest running dancer in the history of the Whyte Wyrm, this lovely lady has been dancing with us for 4 years and her talent sure shows it. It’s Elizabeth!”

Betty took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage and made her way over to the gleaming metal pole in the centre. The music started flowing through the speakers and she got into her usual routine. Spinning and dancing around the pole, Betty drowned out the sounds of men cheering and shouting at her and just focused on the job at hand. She glanced out at the crowd and noticed Jughead watching her intently. For some reason it spurred her on. Her movements became more exaggerated as she locked eyes with him.

Suddenly, the music came to a close and she finished, walking off to the stage to hollers and whoops from the men who had been watching her like she was a slab of meat or another of the beers that they held in their hands. She didn’t notice the blonde woman walking into the bar and stopping with shock when she saw Betty walking off the stage.

Betty walked down the stairs and immediately headed behind the curtain to change back into her jeans and sweater. Picking up all her things, Betty started taking her artistic makeup off when another dancer came up to her.

“Betty, there is a blonde lady asking for you at the bar. She says it’s urgent.” Wiping the last of her makeup off, Betty frowned and gathered her things together before walking out to the bar. From the doorway, Betty could see the blonde at the bar. Her hair was long and pushed back with a headband. She was wearing a blouse and some tight jeans with a leather jacket over the top.

Even from across the room, Betty knew who it was. She had grown up with her after all. Walking across the bar, Betty could feel herself shaking with excitement or fear. She couldn’t tell. Stopping about a foot away from her, Betty finally found the courage to speak.

“Polly?”

The blonde span and her face was filled with delight as she jumped up from the bar stool and wrapped Betty in a hug.

“Betty! I found you!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why is Polly here? A bit more detail into Betty and Jughead. We meet another member of Betty's perfect past...

Betty pulled away from her sister’s embrace and took her first good look at Polly in four years. She had cut her hair shorter and when she looked closely, the beginnings of a baby bump were peeking out from under her baby blue blouse.

“Polly what’s this?”

Moving her hands to stroke the small mound, Polly’s face fell slightly. “This is the reason I’ve spent the past week searching for you. I’m pregnant and I need your help Betty.”

“Why would you need help Polly? You aren’t still in school! You’re 23 for fucks sake! Mom hasn’t kicked you out has she? Your boyfriend who you thought was the one you were going to spend the rest of your life with hasn’t dropped you and hooked up with the new girl, huh? Do you have any idea what it has been like for me these last few years?”

A few people started turning to watch as the blonde unleashed all the pent-up rage for all her friends and family who had dropped her at the touch of a hat. Being the nice girl always meant that Betty kept her opinions to herself and referred to digging her nails into the soft skin of her palms, but after she had Maddie, Betty decided to leave that old façade behind and let her opinions be heard much like the other girls at the Wyrm.

“Betty, please- “

“No Polly, do you have any idea of the shit I’ve gone through? The only friend I had left was Kevin who, is looking after Maddie so I can work and afford the crappy apartment that we are forced to live in. When mom kicked me out, I had nothing, only enough money to keep myself alive until Maddie was born. Then, the only place that would hire me was this place. And you know what Polly? They are a better family than I’ve EVER had. So what if they are from the Southside? They are better people than you or Mom or ANYONE on the Northside will be. Do you know why? We look out for each other. In unity is strength.”

At the mention of their sixth law, the whole crowd that had gathered around the two sisters erupted into cheers. Betty looked around at the mismatched group of dancers, Serpents and workers who had become her family over the years and felt a surge of confidence build inside her. A smile spread across her face and she turned to face Polly who looked rather uncomfortable surrounded by the rowdy mob of Serpents.

“The Elizabeth Cooper that you knew and loved died four years ago, Polly, so instead of coming and asking me for help when I can’t even afford my bills this month, go ask mom or one of your rich Northside friends for help, I’m sure they’ll help you out and throw you a lovely baby shower with macrons and cups of tea as they give you designer baby clothes for your ‘little munchkin’. I never had any of that, for the first 6 months of her life, Maddie had to make do with two outfits and if they were dirty, she had to go without.”

“Betty if you need help paying bills then I’m sure I can convince mom to- “

“Don’t even finish that sentence Polly. Mom made the decision to cut me out of her life by kicking me out the day she found out that I was pregnant. If mom really wants to make amends, she can come herself and talk to me face-to-face instead of sending you as her little messenger.”

Betty picked up her bag and leather jacket before storming out of the bar and out into the crisp evening air leaving Polly behind her, watching the shell of her sister walk away.

\--

Stopping for a moment, Betty looked up at the stars and watched as her breath curled and spiralled into the dark air. Taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to calm down and the urge to curl her fingers into her scarred palms ebbed away.

“I thought that you might be still out here.”

Betty span to see Jughead pulling a lighter from his pocket to light the cigarette he held between his fingers before bringing it to his lips. In the dim outside lighting, she could just make out the smoke curling from his lips much like her breath had just moments before.

“The old me who just wanted to make everyone happy is telling me that I was too harsh on her. I mean, she’s my sister. She’s the one who stuck up for me when some asshole on the football team made fun of my ponytail.”

“What is your heart saying?”

“My heart?”

“Yeah, what is your gut instinct telling you, we all have one. It seems that yours was just unleashed on your poor unsuspecting sister. And before you go back in, I already sent her out of the back exit and told her to go back to the Northside where she belongs.”

Betty smiled thankfully and pulled on the leather jacket she had been given the day FP had hired her and sighed. “I guess I’d better get going on my walk home, I have a daughter and a best friend waiting for me.”

“Let me drive you, I need to speak to you about something anyways.”

Frowning, Betty turned back to face him, “anything I should be worried about?”

“No, just business stuff. Don’t worry, I’m not firing you. It’s more of a promotion if you look at it in that way.”

The two started walking towards Jughead’s truck as he explained his new business plan for the Whyte Wyrm, now that he had taken over. “I’ve never been a fan of the strippers, they were put in place by my grandfather and my dad never got rid of it, he called it ‘Serpent tradition’ but I think it’s just misogynistic and not right in this modern age.”

Betty nodded understandingly, “You do realise that the only reason that I still work there is because it’s the only place that would hire an 18-year-old single mother who barely graduated high school because she was 7 months pregnant. They have all become a family for me now.”

“Yes, I understand why you came here, and I see that you are in a difficult position. That is why I’ll be keeping you on as a waitress along with Toni. I plan on making the bar more legit which means I need to get rid of all the illegal activity that my dad has turned a blind eye to for all these years and I see that you need this job. Toni has always needed help behind the bar, I tell my dad that every time I come and visit him, but he never listens. The pay is also higher so you might be able to afford yourself a better apartment for you and your daughter.”

By now they were in the truck and were on their way to Betty’s apartment block. With a little direction from Betty, Jughead found her block easily and parked outside.

“Do you want to come in? You could meet Maddie and Kevin, they are both harmless I promise.”

Jughead smiled slightly, “I’m good, I have a dog at home who’s probably wondering why he hasn’t been fed yet. And besides, now that the bar is becoming more family friendly, you could bring her to work and then you won’t have to hire your best friend to look after her all the time.”

“I don’t hire Kevin, he’s like a replacement gay father for Maddie. He practically begs me to take more shifts so he can look after her more. Maddie loves him too, he lets her have all the ice cream she wants.”

Betty glanced up at her apartment window and spotted a flash of red duck down followed by a larger male head which popped up and watched excitedly as Betty got out of Jughead’s truck.

He wound the window down and poked his head out. “Take the day off tomorrow, and bring Maddie along at some point next week, I’d like to meet her.”

“Thanks for the lift Jughead.”

“Anytime”, Betty gave him one last smile before she turned around and headed through the smashed doors of her apartment block. Skirting around the passed-out druggie at the bottom of the stairwell, she started her long climb up the stairs to her top floor apartment. Betty hated taking Maddie out and about as it meant taking her through the whole apartment block to get to the entrance. The elevator was broken and had been the whole time that they had lived there. At least this time, Betty could walk into the apartment and announce that she was finally off minimum wage which meant that there was a chance that they could afford to move somewhere new.

\--

Betty unlocked the apartment door to see Kevin quickly dart out of Maddie’s room and shut the door behind him. “Kev, Maddie didn’t just go to bed at midnight, did she?”

“No, of course not! I was just checking up on her…”

“So, the red hair I saw in the window when I looked up was just a trick of my imagination right?”

“Of course, you know I would never keep her up past her bedtime. Why are you back so late? Also, who was that hot Donnie Darko that took you home, did you get a new beau without telling me Betty Cooper?”, this was a classic Kevin move, change the subject to get himself out of the hot water. He often did that with Betty ever since he had started watching Maddie when she was 8 months old. Betty had learned to put in strict rules, and she installed nanny cams that connected straight to her phone so she could ring or text Kevin to make sure that he was following said rules. That night, Betty had been too preoccupied, so she never checked up on the two heathens.

“I had a visitor at work today who took up my time and the person who dropped me off is my new boss, FP is retiring and handing the bar down to his son, Jughead.”

Kevin stopped in his tracks, “You mean THAT,” he pointed towards the tiny living room window, “is your new BOSS? Holy shit Betty! Are you sure he’s not gay? Also, a visitor? Who was visiting my golden angel? No old men wanting favours I hope?”

Betty laughed quietly as to not wake the ball of energy next door and headed to the fridge for some food before she went to bed, “Can we wait until we don’t have a sleeping child just on the other side of the wall? I have a day off tomorrow, how about you meet us at the park on the northside at 11?”

\--

After sorting a few more details, Kevin left to go back to his own apartment on the northside and Betty was left to the distant sounds of yelling and smashed glass from the apartment next door. It wasn’t the ideal place to raise a small child but with this new job, Betty was holding on to hope that she could afford a new place to live.

Kevin was forever offering to pay for a new apartment for Betty and Maddie, but Betty always refused. She didn’t want to become dependant on her only friend left from her past, he was already looking after Maddie most evenings while she was at work. Kevin had never actually met Toni or any of the other dancers at the bar, a stripper bar wasn’t the best place for a young child and there wasn’t anyone else to look after her.

Finishing her food, Betty headed into her bedroom and changed into a black singlet and some pyjama shorts before climbing into her small double bed which pretty much filled the whole room. Kevin had bought it for her on her 21st birthday saying, “maybe it will encourage you to find someone to share it with” with a wink. A year later and nothing of the such had happened. It was just a comfy bed that pretty much filled Betty’s entire room. With her bed and her closet, there wasn’t much room for anything else in Betty’s bedroom. Before she got the double bed, she had a tiny single bed that came in a two-for-one deal with Maddie’s bed. Betty was grateful for everything that Kevin had done for her, but she just wished she could buy these nice things without relying on someone else.

This was the exact thought swimming around Betty’s brain as she drifted off to sleep.

\--

Jughead walked into the bar the next afternoon to prepare the bar for opening with Toni. This was the bars first night under his rule and it’s first night without strippers in decades.

He walked in to see Toni and a gorgeous redhead sat at the bar looking through pictures on the redhead’s phone. She was dressed head to toe in red, bar the black skinny jeans which hugged her legs snugly.

“Toni, who’s this? We need to get this bar ready for opening”

Toni and the girl span and Toni stood sheepishly and picked up the rag she had clearly been using to clean the bar. “Jughead, this is my new girlfriend Cheryl. She came to help me out tonight since your dad never hired anyone to help me. Also, low blow firing all the strippers, especially B”

“She’s the only one staying on, I hired her to be a new bartender and waitress to help you out. Although I did give her the day off to spend with Maddie, she needs a day with her daughter, she sounds like she needs one. I only met her last night, but I can already tell that Betty Cooper is one hardworking woman!”

The look that dropped over Cheryl’s face could only represent a state of complete shock. “Did you just say Betty Cooper?”

Toni turned to her girlfriend with confusion, “Yeah, she was the best stripper here. Poor girl turned up with a tiny redhaired baby almost 5 years ago begging for a job and we took her in. She’s the sweetest girl, you’ll love her.”

The look on Cheryl’s face was something Jughead had never seen before, he couldn’t tell if she was angry, upset, shocked or a mixture of all of them together. Toni clearly understood the face and turned stony faced to her girlfriend.

“You’re one of the Northside bitches that kicked her out, aren’t you?”

Before Cheryl could answer, Toni’s phone started ringing. She checked the caller id and scoffed, “Speak of the devil, she’s calling right now.”

Toni picked up and set the phone to speaker, “Hey B, what’s up”

“Has Jug turned up at the bar yet? I need to talk to him and I didn’t grab his number last night.”

Jughead stepped forward so she could hear his voice, “yeah I’m here, what’s up Betts?”

“Betts, that’s a new one, I like it. Anyways, could I possibly take a shift tonight? Maddie and Kev want to meet you guys. I just told them about the whole, new owner, new rules thing and now Maddie is obsessed with seeing where I work. Kevin just wants to meet you, Toni ” Faintly in the background, there were two voices chattering away. Suddenly, the female voice started giggling and screaming.

“KEVIN KELLER STOP TICKLING MY DAUGHTER!”

Cheryl couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Kevin? Daughter? Betty? What the fuck is going on?”

The line on the other end when silent before a quiet voice spoke,

“Cheryl”

Then the line went dead.

Toni and Jughead both turned to Cheryl before Toni got a text. Checking it, Toni took a deep breath and turned to her girlfriend.

“Babe, you have about 45 minutes to explain everything because Betty is on her way. She doesn’t have a car and she’s bringing Maddie with her which means you have an extra 15 minutes because Maddie is a slow walker. Get talking”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This is my first fic and it has taken a lot of courage to post. I am hurtling towards my GCSEs so I will try to squeeze another chapter in before then. They start on the 14th May and end on 14th June so after then I will be able to start pumping some chapters out. I have no idea where this is going to go so bear with me.  
> Also special thanks to @riverdale_coopers on Instagram for all of the support and help with plot lines, kisses to you. xx


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl explains herself, Betty turns up, Jughead gets his confidence up and a new figure from the past returns...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY IT HAS BEEN LITERAL MONTHS I AM THE WORST PERSON EVER.  
> GCSEs came upon me faster than I realized and I tried to write a bit while they were happening but then my old friend the writer's block reared her fuckin ugly head. BUT I am officially done with school! I start college in September so until then, expect some serious updating. Thank you to everyone who has commented and left kudos on my work I love you all xxx

Betty hung up the phone and stared at it, frozen in shock. “Betty? Are you ok?”, Kevin had stopped tickling Maddie and was now looking at her worriedly.

 

Betty glanced up at him, “Kevin, could you get Maddie’s shoes and coat on? We need to go somewhere, right now.”

 

He looked confused but still did as she asked whilst watching her out of the corner of his eye as she pulled out her phone and frantically sent out a message before grabbing her own coat and keys.

 

“We are off to see an old friend at work.”

 

\--

 

At the Wyrm, things weren’t looking great for Cheryl as she sat in a boot opposite her stony-faced girlfriend and an equally annoyed Jughead. Wringing her fingers together nervously, she started her story:

 

“Betty and I were always close friends; our families were both founding members of the town, so we were always put together at dinner and parties. She was always the sweetest person I knew; she was always taking people in under her wing and was the person that everyone could go to for advice or comfort. That continued all through elementary school, middle school and high school. Until one day she disappeared, and all these rumours started going around that she was pregnant and that her boyfriend, Archie, had broken up with her and had immediately got with the new girl, Veronica.”

 

Toni looked shocked, “She never told me about that part, she just told me that Archie broke up with her as soon as he found out.”

 

Cheryl took a breath before continuing, “Betty was still my best friend, so I went to her house to see if the rumours were true or not but Alice simply told me that Betty wasn’t welcome under her roof and she recommended that I forget about her because she had left and wasn’t coming back. I stupidly listened to her and the next day Veronica came to our table at lunch and sat in Betty’s seat next to Archie, so I pretended she was Betty, she became my best friend and the new co-captain of the Vixens. I never forgot about Betty, every day I wondered where she was and what had really happened to her.”

 

She looked desperately into Toni’s eyes, “You have to believe me TT, it was never my intention to drop Betty, no one gave me any answers when I asked about her, so I just prayed that she was safe. Before you ask, yes, I tried calling her phone, but she had blocked me before I even got the chance. That sealed it for me that she didn’t want me in her life, so I stopped looking.”

 

Jughead, who until then had been silent, finally spoke up.

 

“Cheryl, I only met Betty last night, but I can tell that her past haunts her. She had to get a job as a stripper here because no one else would hire her. She told me herself, that Kevin has to look after Maddie the nights she works because she can’t afford her bills, let alone daycare.”

 

“The nights Kevin can’t look after Maddie, which aren’t often, he loves that girl, I look after her. She is the sweetest little girl I have ever met, and she is completely Betty’s daughter. Please, if you can babe, make things right with her. She needs all the support she can get.”

 

Right on cue, voices were heard from outside the bar. The door was hauled open and a tiny ball of red hair and energy came running through the bar.

 

“AUNTIE TONI”

 

Toni had little time to respond before Maddie flung herself into Toni’s lap and the little girl launched into a story about a dog she had seen at the park that morning. Cheryl looked at her in awe, the girl was completely Betty, save for the bright red hair. Her bright green eyes were wide with excitement as she told Toni her story in a way which made Cheryl stop for a moment to remind herself that it wasn’t Betty talking.

 

The voice behind her though, was very much Betty.

 

Turning her head, Cheryl watched Betty walk through the doors chatting with Kevin. Her blonde hair had grown since Cheryl had last seen her. The golden locks that had once brushed her shoulders whilst tied up in a tight ponytail was now long and loose, almost covering the length of her back. She was dressed in some dark blue jeans and a pale pink tank top. Over the top, she wore the same leather jacket that forever adorned Toni’s shoulders. _She was one of them now._

 

Betty hadn’t noticed the pair of brown eyes watching her enter the bar as Kevin cracked a joke and she let out her gorgeous tinkling laugh.

 

She stepped through the threshold and did her usual scan of the bar to check placement and where the slightly unsavoury characters were that she’d learnt to avoid. Betty wasn’t used to seeing the bar so empty, this had been an unusual closing of the bar so Jughead could get up to date with paperwork and the few changes he wanted to make to the bar. One major change that Betty noticed was the lack of the silver pole in the centre of the stage. She continued her scan, making note of Maddie sat in the corner booth on Toni’s lap. Then she noticed the redhead sat opposite Toni who was watching her with a shocked expression.

 

Green met brown.

 

Betty was frozen in shock. It was actually Cheryl, the one who always spent way too much money on birthday presents and the one who helped her ask Archie out in Sophomore year. She hadn’t changed much in the slightest, she still wore an abundance of red and her trademark red lipstick was in line and perfect as usual.

 

Neither of them knew what to say, Cheryl stood from her seat in the booth and they just took each other in. They both didn’t know what to say, neither wanting to say the wrong thing and upset the other. Cheryl finally broke the silence,

 

“I’m so sorry Betty”

 

Betty broke and flung her arms around Cheryl. “I should be the one apologising Cheryl; I blocked your number before you even got a chance to call me”

 

Kevin awkwardly slipped past the two girls and into the seat that Cheryl had been sat in before and introduced himself, “Kevin Keller, I assume you’re the smoking hot boss and you’re the work best friend who looks after my goddaughter when I can’t.”

 

Toni and Jughead exchanged a look, “I didn’t know you were Maddie’s goddaughter? I only know that you look after her and when you can’t, I do. Betty doesn’t talk about her home life much, she comes, does her dance then leaves again.”

 

They glanced over at the two girls who has vacated to a booth in the corner, Betty was talking as tears flowed from both her and Cheryl’s eyes.

 

“Betty has always been a very private person, even in high school. She was always looking out for others and not herself, she never thought about herself. That’s why no one knew she was suffering until it was too late. I only managed to stop her from shutting me out with everyone else when she got pregnant with Maddie because I went door to door on the Southside asking if anyone knew where she was.”

 

Maddie, deciding the attention had been off her for long enough, scrambled off Toni’s lap into Jughead’s. “Who are you, are you mommy’s hot boss that Uncle Kevin talks about?”

 

Toni choked on the water she was drinking as Jughead’s eyes went wide. He opened his mouth, not quite knowing what to say, he glanced over at Kevin who was sat looking quite smug.

 

“I’m Jughead, I’m your mommy’s boss. I wouldn’t call myself hot, more like antisocial weirdo”

 

“What does antisocial mean?” She stared up at him with her emerald green eyes, ones that matched Betty’s.

 

“It means that I don’t like talking to people, I like to be alone.”

 

“I’ll go and talk to Uncle Kevin then.” She huffed and got off Jughead’s lap, making a beeline for Kevin. Jughead chuckled and took a sip of his lemonade, he wasn’t about to get drunk on his first night as boss.

 

Glancing over to the booth where Betty and Cheryl were now looking through pictures on Betty’s phone, presumably Maddie’s baby pictures. Jughead found himself admiring the way the corners of her eyes crinkled when she smiled and how she tucked her long hair behind her ears when it fell in her face. She was truly ethereal.

 

“Jughead are you listening?”, Toni broke him out of his trance.

 

“What?”

 

She smirked, “Were you watching Betty? It’s either that or you were admiring my girlfriend and she’s taken, sorry dude.”

 

Kevin smirked, “If you want to date Betty, you have my backing, that poor girl hasn’t let her hair down since the party she got pregnant at and even then she wasn’t truly having fun.”

 

“Toni, the final preparations need to be made for tonight, make sure the booths are all tidy and let Betty and Cheryl know their jobs. The stripper room has been turned into a break room, two of you will need to be on at a time at the least so one person can have a break at a time. No longer than half an hour. If you need me I’ll be in my office.” With that, Jughead stood up and walked up the stairs to his office, Toni and Kevin gave each other a knowing look,

 

“He likes her”

 

“Yep”

 

“Are we going to do anything about it?”

 

“We’ll see, if Jughead doesn’t act on it after tonight, then we do something. He doesn’t like to be pressured so we’ll have to be careful. If he sniffs our involvement, we’re done for.”

 

They shook hands across the table and smirked at each other as they each took a sip from their drinks.

 

\--

 

Busy was an understatement. The Whyte Wyrm was _heaving,_ there wasn’t an empty booth and all three girls didn’t have a chance to stop or take a break all night. Maddie spend the night camped out in the break room until she fell asleep in Kevin’s lap and he had to take her home.

 

There were a few protests to the lack of dancers, but they were squashed by the new additions of pool tables and dartboards. Everyone was happy, even FP when he payed a visit for a while to help out at the very busiest periods of the evening.

 

Betty enjoyed the new job; it was so busy that she didn’t have time to think. And with the last few hours she had had, she needed it. The constant moving around, delivering food and drinks and restocking liquor shelves when they ran low was good for her.

 

It was only late into the evening when she finally got a chance to sit down and take a break. Taking a long sip from her iced water, she was finally able to think back to her conversation with Cheryl. The redhead had caught her up on all of the characters that she had left behind when she turned her back on the Northside.

 

Archie and Veronica were still together, Cheryl mentioned that there were suspicions that Veronica was pregnant as she took a week off work sick from the law firm that she worked at. When she returned the next Monday, her eyes were red and blotchy and there were tear stains on her cheeks. Betty felt, in a way, sorry for Veronica. She had been in that position and she knew how life destroying the realization was, knowing that there is another being growing inside her.

 

Betty sat there lost in her thoughts, so she didn’t notice Jughead approaching the bar until he spoke.

 

“Penny for whatever is going on up there?”

 

Betty’s head jerked up from her straw which she had been using to slowly stir her water and ice, when she saw who it was she relaxed and smiled, “I’m just trying to organise my thoughts, I haven’t had much time to think over everything that happened earlier because it’s been so busy.”

 

“Yeah, I didn’t expect it to be like this. It’s good though, it means that even without the dancers, the bar is popular. How are you feeling after… earlier? If I were you I would have changed my name and moved to Canada.”

 

Betty giggled _her laugh was beautiful_ , “I’m ok, there have been worse days in my life. I just don’t know what to think really. So much has happened so quickly: you took over the bar, I get a promotion, Polly comes looking for me and I shout at her and then the next day I find out that one of my closest friends is dating my teenage best friend who I haven’t seen since my mother kicked me out. It’s a lot to take in.”

 

She sighed and took another sip of her water, “The last time things happened this quickly was when my mother took me to the doctors, and they told me I was pregnant. One moment I’m a straight A cheerleader with a loving boyfriend and loads of great friends, then suddenly I’m pregnant living on the Southside.”

 

Jughead took a deep breath, “Betty I wanted to ask you something.”

 

“Sure, what is it? Do you want me to work extra this week? I’m sure I can arrange it with Kevin to take Maddie.”

 

“No actually it has nothing to do with work…” Jughead sighed and internally screamed at his sudden confidence when he said, “Do you want to go out, on a date… with me, at some point? Maybe?”

 

Betty giggled at his nervous rambling; it was cute. Before she could reply, a rather drunk guy stumbled up to the bar, “Hey Blondie, what are you doing after your shift. Wanna come back to my place and have some fun?” His words were slurred, and he looked like he hadn’t showered in weeks. The stench of cigarettes and beer radiated off him towards her and Betty had to try her hardest not to gag.

 

“Sorry, I have a gorgeous daughter waiting for me at home when I’m done here. Can I offer you some water?”

 

His face contorted into what was probably supposed to be disgust, “Fuck off, slut.” With that, he stumbled away, probably on his way to find some other poor girl to take home.

 

Jughead stood up to go and kick the guy’s ass when he was stopped by a gentle hand on his arm, “It’s fine Jug, I’m used to it. You be a stripper at a bar for long enough, and you get used to the insults when you refuse to have sex with them.”

 

“You shouldn’t be used to it Betty; all these guys are dickheads and they need to be told so.”

 

“If you go over there and start a fight, the news will spread quickly and everyone in this town will know to avoid the new owner of the used-to-be strip club. This is a small town, news spreads quickly. Everyone knew I was pregnant within 2 days of me finding out. People gossip.”

 

Jughead huffed and returned to the bar stool he had been sat at.

 

“Anyway, I would love to go on a date with you Jughead. How about on my day off on Tuesday night? Kevin doesn’t work on Tuesdays so he can take Maddie.”

 

Jughead’s face lit up so much that it could probably light up the dark side of the moon, “That’s great, I’ll text you the details, I ought to get going home, Hot Dog doesn’t like it when I leave him at home on his own for too long.

 

“Your dog is called Hot Dog?”

 

“My sister named him, he was my 21st birthday present, but I let her name him.”

 

“That’s cute. Don’t worry about locking up, I’ll kick the stragglers out in half an hour and lock the place up, Kevin is staying the night so I can stay later.”

 

“Thank you Betty you are a literal angel.”

 

She blushed as he gave her one final wink before walking out of the bar.

 

\--

 

The next morning Betty took Maddie to the park close to the border of the Northside for a picnic. Betty sat on the pale blue blanket as she watched her best friend chase her daughter around the play equipment in a very goofy game of tag.

 

Yes, her life was pretty shitty. But there were moments like this when she feels glad that she didn’t get an abortion and continue with her perfect pastel life. Maddie was the light of her life and she couldn’t be more thankful for the fiery 4-year-old.

 

Eventually the tiny ball of energy dissipated until she flopped down next to Betty and promptly fell asleep, using Betty’s leg as a pillow. Betty tucked a strand of her daughter’s uncontrollable curls behind her ear.

 

Kevin slumped down next to her on the blanket, “That kid does not run out of energy, how do you manage her every day of your life?”

 

“Bribery.” They both started laughing and Kevin reached down to stroke her fiery locks.

 

“If Archie were to reappear in your life, do you think you would let him be a part of Maddie’s life?”

 

“Probably not. We’ve survived perfectly fine for the last 4 years. Besides, we’ve got you and Toni, Cheryl, Jughead… Ideally I would like to find a relationship with a guy who genuinely cares for me so he can be her dad, she doesn’t need to deal with dickheads like Archie.”

 

“Betty I love you, but you have literally turned down every guy who has ever talked to you. How are you ever going to find a guy if you won’t keep your options open?”

 

Betty was silent for a moment. Kevin turned and looked at her with a knowing look, “Betty Cooper, that silence suggests that you aren’t telling me something, is there a secret boyfriend that I don’t know about? Are you really working on those spontaneous days or is that just a cover up?”

 

Betty giggled, “No Kev, no secret boyfriend. But would you be able to watch Maddie on Tuesday night? I’m not sure of timing, we only discussed it last night.”

 

“We? Did Jughead actually ask you out or is it some rando from the bar which in that case, I do not approve, and I refuse.”

 

Originally, Betty wasn’t going to tell Kevin that her date was with Jughead, her dating life was something that she had kept private from Kevin. She had gone on one date with a guy who used to work at the bar, but she had spent the night listening to him rambling about the _amazing_ time that he had in high school.

 

However, this felt different. Betty genuinely liked Jughead and she was over the moon when he asked her out on opening night. She did want to keep this possible relationship hidden from Kevin because once he knew, she wouldn’t get a break or any time alone with him.

 

_I’ll tell him about this one date then it’s all private._

 

“Jughead did ask me out, I’m not sure if it’s going to go anywhere though. I like him, but I feel weird going on a date with my new boss. What if we start dating and then we break up? I’ll still have to see him all the time because he’s my boss hell, he might even fire me and then what would I do with myself.”

 

“Betty calm down, you’re panicking. Jughead asked you out for a reason. If it doesn’t work out, you are smart and hardworking. I’m sure you could get a job at Pop’s; they’re always looking for new staff there.”

 

“And risk seeing my mother or Archie? No thanks.”

 

In Betty’s lap, Maddie started stirring from her impromptu nap. Her emerald green eyes that were an exact replica of Betty’s blinked open and she yawned cutely. Suddenly she bounced up and tapped Betty’s shoulder, “Tag you’re it!” With that, the tiny ball of energy ran off between the trees.

 

“We aren’t speaking of this further, if you can’t look after Maddie on Tuesday evening I’ll ask Toni.”

 

She then got up and ran after Maddie not noticing the raven-haired girl watching them from the other side of the road.

 

\--

 

Veronica was close to giving up. Archie had left her and immediately started dating Josie. All because she was pregnant.

 

_“I’m not ready to be a father Veronica. Either you get an abortion, or we can’t be together, and you raise that fucking child on your own”_

 

She had spent the last week in the Five Seasons, but her money was running low. Everyone had taken Archie’s side, even her parents, so she had no one to crash with. But then she had a thought. _Betty._ The girl Archie had left to get with her. She had been pregnant, that was why Archie had broken up with her.

 

Veronica spent _hours_ on the internet trying to find where Betty had gone. She knew that she had gone to the southside, but that place was dangerous, with tons of bars and dodgy gang hangouts. She had spent the past week scouring social media. When Betty had left, she had deleted all of her social media accounts, she didn’t want to be found.

 

Finally, after days of searching, she found a single Facebook account. Her profile picture showed a shot of her and a tiny redhaired girl, both of them were grinning widely as Betty span the girl in the air. With a closer look, Veronica realised that the girl’s hair was the exact same shade as Archie’s. _That was his daughter._ The child that had been growing inside Betty when she just disappeared.

 

The account was incredibly secure, but there was something that was visible to people which had just made Veronica’s search so much easier: **Works at the Whyte Wyrm.**

 

Which brought her to where she was now, walking along the road opposite the park close to the tracks that split the two sides of the town. She only just had enough money for food for herself after her parents cut all of her credit cards off.

 

Veronica looked across the road to the small park where she saw a familiar looking redhead girl being chased around by two adults. Then she realised who they were.

 

Betty had changed since she had left the Northside. Her hair that once brushed her shoulders in a tight ponytail was now loose and long, almost reaching her waist. She wore dark blue ripped jeans and a pale blue body suit. The biggest difference was the leather jacket that rested on her shoulders, a Serpent jacket. Was Betty a Serpent? Her parents had always told her to stay away from them, that they were dangerous. So why was Betty wearing one of their jackets?

 

The other adult was Kevin Keller, Veronica didn’t know much about him, he had always hung out with Ethel Muggs in the Blue and Gold, somewhere that the popular cheerleader she had been wouldn’t have dreamt of entering. All she knew was that he was very gay.

 

The two of them were chasing the tiny child around a blanket which had been laid on the grass. They all looked so happy, their smiles were bright and _real._ All of the smiles on the Northside were forced and fake, everyone pretending their life was perfect and happy.

 

Veronica checked the time on her phone, 3:48pm. The Wyrm opened at 6pm, so she had around 2 hours to kill until the bar opened.

 

She just prayed that Betty was working tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I promise that updates will be faster now (hopefully)  
> big thank you to @riverdale_coopers on Instagram for the motivation and plot line help. Love youu. Come hang with me on my Instagram, I don't bite vv


	4. Chapter 4

Hey I’m sorry if you thought that this was a new chapter but it isn’t. I’ve decided to discontinue this fic since I just don’t feel inspired to write it anymore.  
Back when I started writing it I had so many ideas and now I just don’t see it going anywhere interesting.   
I might continue it one day, I have written a good amount of chapter 4 before I realised that I just don’t enjoy writing it anymore and it felt more like a chore.   
I’ll probably just write one shots for now, multi chapters are a commitment I don’t have time for currently with college. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this! I don't have a clue how often this will be updated. It will probably end up as one of those stories that gets updated one in a blue moon so in advance I apologise.  
> If you do want to keep up with my everyday shenanigans on my story and the monthly post that I do upload there, feel free to check me out on Instagram: @bugheadslols  
> Love y'all  
> Emily xox


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